Succulents and More™

As I mentioned a few weeks ago , Kyle and will have a plant sale on Halloween to make room for — you guessed it — more plants. Both of us are passionate about propagation so we’re always making more. We just can’t help ourselves. K & G The sale will be at our friend Eric’s property in West Sacramento, and it will coincide with Eric’s open garden for the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society (SCSS). You don’t have to be a member of the SCSS to see Eric’s garden or come to our sale. WHAT: Kyle and Gerhard’s plant sale Eric’s open garden WHEN: Saturday, October 31, 2026 10 am to 2 pm WHERE: West Sacramento ( email me for address) I blogged about Eric’s place earlier in the summer ( here ). The central area of his garden is a unique collection of metal containers Eric made from objects he found on his property, which has been in the family for 50+ years. They’re filled with a wide variety of succulents — cacti large and small, agaves, aloes, etc. I’ve seen many gardens, but never a...

Last month, I introduced you to one of my favorite companion plants for succulents, a groundcover from Europe called Artemisia pedemontana ( read this post for details ). Today, I want to show you another companion plant/groundcover that is becoming a staple in my garden, Plectranthus neochilus ‘Mike’s Fuzzy Wuzzy’ — a fun name for a cool plant: Plectranthus neochilus in Kyle’s garden, the variegated form ‘Mike’s Fuzzy Wuzzy’ on the right and the all-green species on the left (actually, ‘Mike’s Fuzzy Wuzzy’ losing its fuzzy wuzzy) Like so many awesome plants, ‘Mike’s Fuzzy Wuzzy’ was originally introduced by San Marcos Growers (SMG), the legendary Santa Barbara wholesale nursery that closed its doors earlier this year . For 40+ years, SMG was a reliable source for special plants; through introductions like ‘Mike’s Fuzzy Wuzzy’, its legacy will live on. Here’s what the SMG website says about ‘Mike’s Fuzzy Wuzzy’ : A perennial, aromatic, succulent herb, which grows as a ground-hugg...

I’m not much into seasonal decorating because I feel like I just don’t have the eye for it, but there’s one thing I love at this time of year: pumpkins. When I was younger, you had very orange pumpkins and less orange pumpkins. Now you have not only a variety of colors, but also wrinkles, warts, and bumps. Perfect encapsulation of the season, seen at Green Acres in Sacramento The best pumpkin display I’ve seen this year was at the Sacramento location of Green Acres , a family-owned garden center chain. The sheer number of pumpkins, and the variety, was beautiful to behold: And pumpkins at Costco (best price, of course): I did get a net of small pumpkins at Costco and set up a modest display near the front door: Costco pumpkins and Mangave ‘Bad Hair Day’ in a face pot Maybe next year I should try to grow some ornamental pumpkins? They do take up a good chunk of real estate, but I should be able to find a sunny corner somewhere. If you grow your own pumpkins, please share your experien...